Don’t forget about Ben McDonald!

As someone who has actually seen Wieters play in person, he’s got the goods. Big. Tall. Strong Arm (he was relief pitcher in college). Power from both sides. Hits for average.

But, he has not been tested above AA. He is Mike-Scioscia slow. His pitch-calling is mediocre, as are his fielding skills. Hasn’t failed at any level, so it’s difficult to tell how he’ll handle it *when* it happens.

http://www.baseball-intellect.com/Articles/baltimore-orioles-prospect.html

Above is the take from a non-Orioles typer.

Bear in mind, “mediocre” is par for the course in the major leagues these days, but it was offered in the spirit of “he ain’t perfect.”

No, it didn’t:

“Defense - plus arm, gets into comfortable position behind the plate despite height, still working on pitch calling and the nuances of the position”

Having a good throwing arm is only part of the equation. Last year he made 9 errors in 93 games and allowed three passed balls. Considering how poor the official scoring is in the minors—trust me, these guys think the old saw “the only person who wants it to be an error is the pitcher” is the rule—it’s fair to deduce that there were probably a dozen or more calls that were chalked up to the pitcher as a wild pitch or an infielder for not digging out a poor throw.

I haven’t forgotten Ben McDonald.  He had a lot better career than most people understand.  Might have had a better career if LSU didn’t think a pitcher’s arm is a sacrificial lamb.  Of course, Wieters is not a pitcher and didn’t attend LSU, so not sure why we need to discuss him.

I wish I could say that Particle Man was the inspiration for that, Andy.  I mean, I love that song and TMBG in general, but I ripped that off a list of those Chuck Norris jokes.  Yes, when I saw it on the list I said “cool! Particle Man,”  but I had set out with Norris in mind.